US DoE to study cool-roofing solutions of Vadodara-based firm

Aesthetic Solutions' Coolwrap keeps buildings 14 degrees cooler

The US Department of Energy (DoE) is all set to study the eco-friendly roofing solutions developed by a Vadodara based firm Aesthetic Solutions that uses nano-technology and infrared reflective technology to keep a building cooler without using any solvents.

The product called 'Coolwrap' is expected to keep a building 14 degrees cooler and hence is an useful technology in the age of global warming.

Aesthetic Solutions will administer roofing solutions to two buildings identified by the US DoE in the cities of Nainital and Pantnagar in Uttarakhand. A team from the US department will come down to study 'Coolwrap' and see whether the product can be used as a technology to combat global warming.

'Coolwrap' was developed by a Jodhpur-based innovator D S Mittal who wanted to find cooling solutions for his house in the sweltering heat of Rajasthan. Mittal later passed on the technology to his daughter who founded Aesthetic Solutions in 2008.

While the product has been tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and PUT laboratories in Singapore, the company, as of now, has no plans to patent the technology. "We formalised the contract with the US DoE this month and will soon begin work on the rooftop solutions at two buildings identified by the department. They will then study the installations.We also plan to set up a bigger production unit. By patenting we might expose the formula. hence, we are first looking to expand our management and production skills for which we are looking to incubate at the Centre of Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A)," said Neetu Sharad Jain, founder of Aesthetic Solutions.

The company that is into insulation, roofing solutions, water-proofing, reflective cooling technology was awarded the best start-up firm at a 15-day workshop at CIIE in October 2010.

At present, Aesthetic Solutions has offices in Vadodara, Bhopal and Jodhpur is looking to expand internationally as well. Mumbai-based Akruti City Limited, Kohinoor Constructions and Alstom's hydro equipment manufacturing facility at Vadodara are some of firms who have already utilised the eco-friendly roofing solutions for their buildings.